


The Modern-Day Selkie

by Charl00tte



Series: Original Stories [1]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, My First AO3 Post, Mythology - Freeform, Mythology References, One Shot, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Mythology, Original Universe, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29539053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charl00tte/pseuds/Charl00tte
Summary: Eric Olson is a sailor, this is kind of a journey in his life, but mythology brain took over halfway through.
Series: Original Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170137
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	The Modern-Day Selkie

**Author's Note:**

> Context: In Norwegian and Celtic mythology there is a myth about seal-skins/folk, or selkies and are humans(traditionally a beautiful woman) who have two forms, a seal form, and a human form that is achieved by them shedding their seal skin like an overcoat. I decided to try and adapt the mythology into a more modern story, please enjoy :).
> 
> I do plan on doing fanfictions, but this was something I made during creative writing class that I thought was really interesting. Forgive me for any formatting errors, as this is my first time using AO3.
> 
> Happy reading! Also, please if you choose to comment to criticize, leave a positive and a negative.

Erik stumbled out of his cabin, embracing the cool wind running through his hair, smelling the salty yet refreshing sea water, and listening to the repetitive call of the seagulls. He stepped off the mahogany wooden porch, feeling the harsh, comforting, familiar rocks beneath his boots. His black and curly hair already started to warm up in the sunrise already. 

The sun had only just crossed over the horizon, casting an orange glow onto the water. Erik loved this time of day, especially when he woke up to the sunrise, it was a rare break from his busy life. Frankly this week, it would be a break he needed. He while gazing out onto the ocean, with its high rises and great falls, thought back upon his childhood. Mainly because he never really left. While his parents moved from their colder climate, down to Florida to be warm in their retirement, Erik never did. Perhaps it was the love of the cold and snow rushing into his face during the winter months in contrast to the slight sun and cold wind of summer. He even loved now, when the snow could still fall, but the temperature wasn’t too cold, even though in his mind there was no such thing.

He remembered waking up early mornings, and not feeling this at peace with the water. When his mother and father would wake him up, around four in the morning, before the sun even rose; just to try and beat the other fisherman to the boats. It was cold, but that was nothing new, it was always cold. The cold is half of what bound his heart to this rocky and snow-covered landmass. 

He let out a hearty sigh, before continuing to walk down the shoreline. He had to go into town today, and he was not looking forward to it. He loved the cold and he loved the people, but he did not love this season. It was getting close to the Itarod, and while he was a fan of dog sledding, that season crammed his little town. Aside from the minor inconveniences every march, his town was great. 

He finally reached the docks, and glanced towards his boat. The very same boat that had once been his fathers boat. It had a simple, but classic fishing name:  _ Brandy _ . His father had named it when he started fishing, Erik was told this was around when his dad was 16, and his favorite song at the time was the song by the boats’ namesake by The Looking Glass. His father was a peculiar man, but that was beside the point. The ship was where he left it and okay. He continued to walk, finally reaching the first paved road and the entrance to the town. 

He did his business as usual in the town, checking in on shops he knew the owners to, and buying more tackle and bait for his fishing. He also had to buy a new net for fishing, tonight he would have to set off and fish. He fished both for food and for money, whatever he didn't end up needing would be sold to the local butcher. He also only fished at night, as it was usually less crowded out on the ocean. He also loved the quiet and calm landscape the night sky provided. The stars and moon danced on the ripple of the ocean's waves, while the water splashed against his boat’s wooden sides. Granted the storms could sometimes grow in size and destruction at night, but Erik tried to pay them no mind.

By the time he was walking back from the town, the sun was setting. Erik decided then to go board his ship. He checked to ensure that everything was still working and connected. He in specific was worried about the old rudder. His rudder had been on the boat for months, and he usually had to replace it just as often. The rudder of any fishing boat, on seas this rough, would have to be replaced multiple times a year to ensure maximum steering capability. His father had made sure to always tell Erik to check the rudder. He used to warn about getting stuck alone on the harsh ocean with no rudder, unable to steer and alone at night. It was mainly done to make sure when he was a teen he would check the boat before taking it, but his father’s words echoed throughout him everytime he checked the boat.

“Erik, one day you’re going to go do one of your night escapades,” his dad never understood the power of fishing at night, “and you’re going to break your rudder, and get stuck on the ocean all alone. Until you die.” 

The boat was left in pristine condition, well, as pristine as an old boat could be. He was finally able to undo the knot attaching the boat to the pier. He pushed off the dock with his foot, and then hopped back into  _ Brandy _ . Heading out to the ocean, dimming the lights he began to sit on his boat, waiting to get out far enough to cast his nets.

The ocean splashed onto the side of the fishing boat, and the waves pushed and pulled him along the ocean. He finally dropped anchor, watching the smooth and rusty metallic object drop into the water. The water’s darkness swallowed the anchor before his eyes, and eventually the rope stopped running. He then began to drop in his nets, throwing one far out, and one a bit more near. The next task was the easy one, to check his weekly crab traps, and then to wait. He had it down to rhythm, that rhythm kept him working through the dark and cold night. He couldn’t actually play music, if he did the vibrations would scare the fish away. So instead he just kept up his tasks with the rhythm in his head. 

He was starting to wonder if he should haul his anchor up and go to drop somewhere else, he specifically was wondering this after he pulled out his crab trap he had set up the previous week and only had a small handful of the crustaceans. He reeled in the nets, having to keep a steady pressure on them as he pulled the near one in. It was a decent haul, nothing that was going to give him a ton of surplus. He went to pull the far net in, and while he continued his repetitive tugging motion, he suddenly caught a very large snag. 

“Great,” he let out a groan, throwing his head back to stare at the night sky. Almost as if he wanted to tell whatever god(s) were out there to stop tormenting him. He gave it a great big tug, thankful for his waterboots keeping him standing on the slick metal floor. He gave it one more final tug, with equal strength to the first and was sent backwards a bit, as his net looked like it jumped closer to him. He stood up, trying to dry his butt, to no avail, before tugging his net the rest of the way in. 

The second the net hit the deck he realized what he had been snagged on, as he caught one of them by mistake. A seal laid tangled up in his net, not moving but instead just staring at him, with deep and intense eyes. He slowly approached the seal, being careful to not present as a predator or threat. As he walked towards the seal, it began to thrash aggressively, causing Erik to slow down. The seal eventually calmed down a bit, probably scared out of its mind. 

Erik gently took the net of the seal and began to untangle it, being slow in order to keep the animal calm. Once it was free he picked up the animal, swaying a little bit, but then slid it down the dip in the back of the ship. It was a heavy seal, heavier than most. He could usually handle the average seal, but this one just had extra weight on him. The seal looked at him, its eyes were wide and brown, and it’s mouth was in a strange expression. Erik had an interesting thought, could it be expressing confusion?

“Okay, maybe too much ocean and not enough people,” Erik chuckled at his thought. He knew animals didn’t have nearly as complex of a thought process as humans did. He still knew they had to have some sort of emotional intelligence, after spending this much time around animals, he had become sort-of aware of all of their different emotional status. The main states that the different animals seemed to have been just content and scared, but he had seen perhaps signs of others at different intervals. 

The seal finally figured out to slide backwards, and Erik sighed some, going to wind up his anchor so that he could try another spot. His haul from the second net had been severely damaged by the seal, as when it got caught in the ocean a lot of fish probably were freed by the impact. He grimaced some, before shaking his head, and finishing rewinding his anchorline. He began to drive off after that.

He drove around for about an hour, finding another spot. He would repeat his process every time and managed to hit about four fishing spots. He would arrive back at the docks at sunrise, planning on hauling his...well haul to the markets in order to sell what he knew he wouldn’t need. He stepped out of his boat, making sure to secure the ropes tightly to the dock, and walked over to the harbormaster.

“Hey Don, could I borrow the pickup? I just got back with my week's haul and I’m gonna need it for the crabs.”

“Yeah Erik you know the drill,” Don tossed him the keys, before going back to scheduling. 

“Thank you kindly Don,” Erik walked to the pickup, unlocked it and then began to transfer the goods from the ship to the truck. He could haul back his share on his own, without the help of Don’s truck. He transferred the surplus to the butcher, Maggie Karapus, before going back to  _ Brandy _ . There he picked up his personal ice chest and began the walk to his cabin

His walk back to his cabin was tiresome, as he had been up for 24 hours. His feet dragged across the sand, and while he could still appreciate the beauty of his surroundings, it was definitely less focused than usual. He set the ice chest down on his porch, fumbling with his door, and upon opening it was taken aback. 

In his armchair, closest to the fireplace was a man. He had brown shaggy hair, was fairly toned, and completely buck-naked, save for the brown overcoat that coated his lower-mid body. Erik looked at him, before taking a step back, double-checking that he had gotten the house correct. It was a strange reaction, considering he was the only one that lived on the beach, but what else could he do upon finding a strange naked man in his house. 

Erik slowly creeped inside, after he picked his ice chest back up. He went to his kitchen, still processing the idea that a random stranger had just waltzed into his house. He was exhausted, and if it wasn’t for the fact that this may be a security threat he probably would have just let him sleep on the armchair. He got a glass of water, and then decided to get a second one, to seem hospitable, for the stranger. He walked back to his living room, set the glass on his coffee table, and then decided to gently tap the man’s left shoulder. 

“Hey, are you okay?” It was probably a stupid question to ask, Erik thought. No man that is okay is going to be sitting in a random person’s house, nude. 

The man began to stir a bit before his eyes opened, revealing his soft brown eyes. If Erik did not see the human in front of him and had only seen the eyes he may have assumed they were some-sort of animal. He looked a bit out of it, but not harmful in any way. 

“Hey, here, you don’t look too good,” Erik sighed some and passed the stranger the water glass. The stranger took it, and began to absolutely chug the water, “Woah, woah, calm down. You’re going to puke if you drink all that right now,” he said with a soft smile. 

“Thank you,” the stranger said, slowing down his water consumption. Erik ended up handing him the second glass of water originally for himself, taking the empty one to his sink. He walked back into the room and asked, 

“Are you cold?”

“Only a little bit-” Erik abruptly moved over to the fireplace and got started to get a fire going, “Oh. You didn’t have to do that.” 

“Nonsense, you’re a guest. Wait, who are you?”

“Oh,” the stranger looked around some, carefully shifting the overcoat, “My name is Silas.” 

“Silas, that’s a pretty name. Are you from, like, around here?”

“I live north of here, but I pass by a lot.”

“Okay…” Erik looked at him before eventually going, “Okay, so I don’t like having to ask this question while I’m exhausted, but I feel like I really should considering I don’t know you. Why are you in my house? And why are you naked?”

“I was camping somewhere in the wilderness. I tend to sleepwalk, so maybe I ended up here?” 

“I do leave my door unl- wait hang on, you sleep naked in the wilderness?”

“Uh, yes.” Silas nodded, before chuckling some, “That sounds really weird doesn’t it.”

“A little, but you’re talking to the man who hasn’t slept for twenty-four hours because he had to go fishing, so you’re in strange company already.” Erik began to look at the stranger and said, “I have some clothes that should fit you, do you want to maybe...not be naked in my armchair.”

“I think that would be the best option for both of us,” Silas nodded some, looking down, as a pale blush flushed his cheeks, “I’m sorry for ending up in here, I can’t explain it.”

“Don’t worry too much, I’m just glad you are not some crazed axe murderer.” 

“I guess finding a sleepwalker is better than finding a murderer.”

“Only a bit,” Erik teased some, before going to his bedroom, “I’ll go bring out those clothes.” 

Silas just nodded some, curling up closer towards the fire. Erik went to his bedroom, briefly brushing his hands along the pine green quilt that covered the bed. He then shook his head and went to his dresser. He dug through it finding a pair of sweatpants and a random sweatshirt. He slung the clothing over his shoulders, before walking back out to Silas in the living room.

“Here, my bathroom is down that hall, last door straight down. You can’t really miss it,” Erik said, tossing the clothes at Silas before saying, “To give you some energy before you leave, I’ll go scramble some eggs.” Erik said, giving a thumbs-up before leaving the room and going into the kitchen, giving Silas the privacy he would need to stand up and make his way to the bathroom.

Erik prepared the scrambled eggs, and while he did so he got lost in his own thoughts. Most of these thoughts were his brain telling him that cooking while super tired would probably be a bad idea, but a few were about Silas. He was puzzled on how he had managed to have such a long conversation with someone who wasn’t family, as that was highly uncommon for him. He just never really felt the need to talk to anyone else. Maybe it was because he was in his house, or maybe it was because the conversation had been enjoyable but Erik enjoyed talking with Silas.

“How bizarre,” he chuckled to himself, finishing and plating the scrambled eggs. He brought them out, setting one serving on the coffee table for Silas, but keeping the other serving for himself. Silas came out of the bathroom shortly after, and he sat back down in the chair to eat his serving of the eggs.

“After this do you think you’ll need help?” Erik asked, glancing at Silas.

“Help with what?”

“Well you said you were camping and sleep walked over here, so should we go look for your campsite?”

“Oh,” Silas said, before nodding, “Yeah, we should definitely go do that after eating. Do you have a safe or anywhere super secure?”

“Yeah, why?” Erik raised an eyebrow at Silas’ question.

“Oh, in case we don’t find it I was going to store my overcoat there, if you’d be okay with that.”

“I’m sure I could make that work, do you want me to go store it somewhere safe?”

“That would be really, really nice.”

Erik smiled some at Silas and picked up the overcoat. It was extremely soft, like petting a cat. He took it back into his bedroom and into his closet. From there he pulled out a padlocked chest and opened it, using the key he kept in the lower dresser drawer. He folded the overcoat up nicely, before putting it into the chest. He relocked it, and pushed it back into the closet. The chest made a squeaking noise as he pushed it back into the closet, a noise that Erik was not particularly fond of. He shuddered some as he closed the closet door, really happy that the noise was over, before heading back out to the living room and not finding Silas.

“Silas?” Erik called out, being puzzled, his face twisting some. He checked the kitchen next, and found Silas washing dishes in the sink.

“Oh, I’m sorry I just figured that I could help clean up after myself.”

“Thank you,” Erik brushed away the brief worry he had felt when he couldn’t find Silas. He was probably just worried Silas had stolen something and ran.

“Now then, let’s go look for my campsite!” Silas said with a cheesy smile, and Erik rolled his eyes some.

“Let’s go,” Erik said, going to open his door to leave the cabin. Silas followed behind him, but joined him to walk at his side while they were getting out to the woods. Silas began to talk to Erik about what it was like to live in the town. A lot of them were strange questions, but questions he was willing to answer. Erik answered all of Silas’ questions, and while sometimes laughing at the questions, not because they didn’t make sense, but because they were humorous. 

“Where exactly were you camping, was it on the campsite or were you just picking a spot in the woods?” Erik asked, after they had been searching and talking for about two hours. It would not be a problem under usual circumstances, but he was exhausted before the hike began, so he was pushing his luck on not passing out. 

“I just went somewhere in the woods and pitched a tent.”

“How were you not freezing to death?”

“I dunno. That overcoat is pretty warm to be fair.”

“I guess,” Erik shook his head some, “still.”

Silas nodded some, “I guess it would sound pretty odd to anyone else who knew the full context of why you’re asking me this question.”

Erik nodded some, yawning as he did so. His eyelids were feeling droopy and everything was moving so slowly. Silas took note of this, starting to have a worried look on his face. Erik stumbled and almost tripped over a branch, which finally prompted Silas to open his mouth and question why Erik seemed exhausted. 

“Hey Erik?”

“Hmm,” Erik said back, eyes half-closed, “what?”

“Why are you so tired?”

“Well, I’m a fisherman,” Erik began, “and I was out last night doing fishing related activities. I woke up yesterday at dawn, and I’ve been up since then, I think being tired is reasonable.”

“Why are you helping me look then? You could have gone to bed.”

“I figured I could help, you know?” He yawned some between sentences, “I don’t know why, considering you broke into my house.”

“Sorry about that, but still you should be sleeping.” 

“Jeesh what are you, my mom? That’s surprisingly accurate considering you disturbed my privacy then nagged me about sleeping more.” Erik laughed some at Silas, which caused Silas to shrink down. Erik felt worried that the joke had made Silas uncomfortable, quickly adding on with, “Don’t worry too much Silas. I was making a joke, all things considered you do seem pretty nice.”

“Thank you,” Silas sighed some, “I am sorry I disturbed your sleep cycle with my sleep walking.”

“Yeah, let’s look for a little bit longer then I’m going to head back. We don’t have a hotel or anything in town, so if you want to keep looking you could come back to my cabin to rest and eat.”

“Thank you.” Silas smiled some at Erik, continuing to look for his campsite. Erik would continue to help him for a while, before eventually deciding he had to turn around and go home. He began his walk, trying not to trip and fall over. He wandered through the woods, finally able to stumble back home. The walk felt both slow and fast, and he was unable to truly tell what time it was. He walked inside, making sure to leave his door unlocked just in case, and laid down in bed, instantly passing out. He would sleep for a whole 12 hours, not waking up until the next day at dawn.

He stood up from his bed, yawning some, brushing out his hair first-thing in the morning. The usual curls were now all matted up, so it took him a few minutes to fully brush through his hair. He finished doing that and changed out of his clothes, finally putting on some new ones. He wondered if Silas had found his campsite and left, walking out to the living room so he could get to the kitchen. He was a little taken aback when he walked inside his living room and saw Silas sitting on his armchair. 

“Oh, good-” He checked his watch very quickly, “Morning Silas. No luck finding your campsite?” Erik inquired, genuinely curious on where he must have been camping for him to have not found it by now. 

“No luck, but I went into the town a few times. It’s really fun there! Or at least, it is when you’re someone who has never seen a town before.”

Erik tilted his head some, “You’ve never seen a town, what about a city? Anything?”

“No, I was raised very sheltered.”

"You could say that again, that's like...talented how strict they raised you then."

"A bit," Silas shrugged some, "I've never had someone to talk to, with that town nearby you must have so many friends."

"Not really. They're all nice. I just don't talk to people this much usually. With my work and sleep schedule it just doesn't work out all that often. You're kind of an odd one out."

"Oh," Silas looked down before going, "well I'm glad we were able to have good conversation!"

"Me too." Erik smiled some, before going into the kitchen, making himself some toast. Silas came in a few minutes later, a nervous look on his face, and decided to talk to Erik.

"Do you have the overcoat I gave you?"

"Yeah, I locked it up like you told me, do you want it back?"

"Yeah, I think I remember where my campsite was, I think it actually was in the campground."

"Okay, I can go get it if you want."

"Yeah, that would be really great

,” Silas said, smiling a little bit, “thank you.” 

Erik nodded before putting his toast on a plate and then going back into his room. He dragged the chest back out, and it made the squeaking noise along the floor. He should really move his chest, because this noise is getting really old. He unlocked it, and then grabbed the overcoat, keeping it folded and deciding he would pack up the chest later. He walked back to the living room, holding the overcoat.

“Silas, here. I have your coat.” Silas sat up and took it gently. 

“Thank you Erik,” Silas looks over at Erik, “seriously, for everything. It was an unexpected end to a sleepwalking episode.”

“It’s no problem, you gave me someone to try and talk to,” Erik looked at him, “well not try. You gave me someone to talk to.”

Silas smiled some, and held out his hand, “Maybe I’ll see you around Erik.” Erik looked at Silas’ hand outstretched and then replied. 

“See you around Silas.” Erik said, shaking his hand. Silas smiled and bit and shook his hand back, before going to the door and leaving. Erik closed the door behind him, before deciding he needed to go for a boating drive later. He had a lot to unpack, mainly that he had managed to make a friend, a friendly acquaintance, or just someone to talk to occasionally. 

He ate his meal, and then got his boots on, along with a hat and some gloves. He grabbed his boat’s key and stepped outside, feeling the harsh, comforting, familiar rocks beneath his boots. It felt less comforting than usual, he did not understand why, but it just felt different. He heard some short-barks, but not in the traditional sense. They were seal barks, he looked to the shore and saw a group of three seals. He lived close to the shore line so he could make out a lot of the details on the seals. He noticed the centermost and closest one the most, it looked like the seal was staring directly at him, with potent soft brown eyes. Erik smiled at the seals, before continuing his familiar and lonely walk down to the docks. 


End file.
